THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF ARKANSAS PIE RECIPES EVER ASSEMBLED
The Great Arkansas Pie Book
Recipes for The Natural State's Famous Dish From Our Favorite Restaurants, Bakeries and Home Cooks
An extraordinary selection of 248 recipes covering sweet to savory and everything between two crusts.
Pie. It's the singular dessert that can be found on menus across Arkansas, no matter the restaurant. It comes in so many varieties, and the folks who make it take great pride in their special recipes. Now, The Great Arkansas Pie Book encapsulates so many of The Natural State's favorite pies in a brand-new, full-color collection.With her 12th book, Arkansas author and food historian Kat Robinson returns to the subject of her first and fourth books to give hungry diners what they seek - the recipes for some of the most beloved pies in Arkansas.
"Over the more than 15 years I've studied Arkansas foodways and shared the stories of the people who make what we consume, I've collected recipes for pie," says Robinson. "Sometimes it's a quick recipe scribbled on a waiter's order book, sometimes an old newspaper clipping. I've tucked them away, knowing someday it would be time to share this bounty. I've also amassed more than 500 Arkansas church and community cookbooks, a collection I've dug through time and again to cross-reference the many dishes we bring to the table in The Natural State.
"With my first book, Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of The Natural State, I shared the stories of piemakers and restaurants. My fourth book, Another Slice of Arkansas Pie: A Guide to the Best Restaurants, Bakeries, Truck Stops and Food Trucks for Delectable Bites in The Natural State, shared the locations of 475 places where you can purchase a slice of handmade and delicious pies all over Arkansas. What my readers have been asking for over all these years are more recipes. I hope with this new book, I have properly obliged."
The Great Arkansas Pie Book is a massive, 288 page assortment covering every type of pie - fruit, nut, cream, custard, chocolate, meringue, fried, and savory. It shares unusual and unique pies, and even those that make their own crust in their baking. The 248 recipes within cover pie crusts made from butter, shortening and lard; from restaurants of the past and eateries currently offering some of Arkansas's best slices, from home cooks and from both old church cookbooks and historical sources. Recipes date back as far as the 18th century. Within the pages, you'll find some of the most beloved and singular pies ever brought to the table, including
- Mile High Chocolate and Lemon Meringue Pies from the venerable Ed and Alma's restaurant in Benton
- Lemon Chess Pie, the very recipe from the Arkansas Governor's Mansion reportedly favored by President Bill Clinton
- Arkansas Possum Pie from Tusk and Trotter in Bentonville, named the top pie in Arkansas by People Magazine
- Company's Comin' Pie from the Cliff House Inn, the official pie of the Arkansas Sesquicentennial
- Ozark Wild Huckleberry Pie from Burns Gables and Rabbit Pie from Booger Hollow, mid-century Arkansas tourist attractions.
- An 18th Century Meat Pie, developed from recipes from English settlers in the Boston Mountain section of the Ozarks
- Peach Lattice Pie from Mrs. Jan Simrell at Ventris Trails' End Resort
- Cathie's Buttermilk Pie from The Oark General Store
- Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie from Trio's Restaurant in Little Rock
- Caramel Pecan Cream Cheese Pie from The Wooden Spoon in Gentry
- Five different recipes for the famed Egg Custard Pie from Franke's Cafeteria
...plus historical pies such as Black Bottom Pie, Brown Bag Apple Pie, Cushaw Pie, Dog Tick Pie, Goody Pie, Gooseberry Pie, Lemon Rice Pie, Pinto Bean Pie, Mincemeat Pie, and Shoo Fly Pie. You'll also find standards like apple, cherry, grape, coconut meringue, pecan, lemon icebox, caramel, strawberry, and fried pies between the covers of this cookbook.
Robinson not only visited and tried pies at so many restaurants included here, she also personally baked almost 100 of the recipes she researched at The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, in its esteemed and singular Culinary Suite, the only food writer dedicated retreat in North America. The authentic photography showcases these dishes whole and by the slice. The author spent almost a month in total testing recipes from the past, redacting and adjusting measurements for modern considerations, refining them for the perfect slice.The Great Arkansas Pie Book also offers stories about the locations where the pies can be found, about the piemakers and the history behind these different desserts. There are also historical photos and details. Every page, Robinson says, is guaranteed to make you hungry.
"I'm hoping to truly preserve a slice, pardon the pun, of our favorite Arkansas creation, from its beginnings as a way to extend the life of leftovers as the next day's take-along pie, to the use of our indigenous pecans and squashes, to how mid-century and modern cooks have and still do bring these dishes to the table. There's something to love for everyone here - savory pies that make an excellent dinner, gluten-free crusts and fillings to accommodate dietary issues, fruit pies that take advantage of our summer harvest, and holiday pies any cook would be proud to serve. Pie, after all, is made with love, and I hope my love of the subject shines through with each bite."
The Great Arkansas Pie Book is available in hardcover nationwide, including these local places:
Green Corner Store (Little Rock)
Historic Arkansas Museum (Little Rock)
All Things Arkansas (Hot Springs)
Pickens and Son Commissary (Dumas)
Ozark Classics Craft Mall (Hardy)
Ventris Trail's End Resort (Garfield)
and these worldwide retailers:
Kyobo (Korea) Blackwell's (UK) Hugendubel (Germany) Booktopia (Australia)
A paperback nationwide release is set for September 12, 2023. Signed copies are available direct from the author at store.tontipress.com.
The Great Arkansas Pie Book: Recipes for The Natural State's Famous Dish From Our Favorite Restaurants, Bakeries and Home Cooks
Tonti Press (May 9, 2023)
ISBN: 978-1-952547-14-0
Paperback, retail $29.99
Tonti Press (September 12, 2023)
ISBN: 978-1-952547-13-3
280 pages, full color, 248 recipes
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023936052
REVIEW COPIES AND INTERVIEWS available:
Print or PDF copies, contact pr@tontipress.com.
More information: TontiPress.com
To order: Tonti Press Store
Pages from the book:
Kat Robinson is an author, Arkansas food historian and filmmaker. The Emmy-nominated host of Arkansas Dairy Bars: Neat Eats and Cool Treats is also a prolific contributor to local, regional and national publications and an accomplished photographer and publisher. She is a member of the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the co-chair of the Arkansas Pie Festival, and the 2022 Best Author in the Arkansas Times Readers Choice Awards.
Tonti Press is a micropress operating in Little Rock, Arkansas, publishing niche books in full color by Arkansas authors.
For more information, review copies or digital book galleys for review, send requests to inquiries@tontipress.com.
Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State
History Press, 2012
Classic Eateries of the Ozarks and Arkansas River Valley
History Press, 2013
Classic Eateries of the Arkansas Delta
History Press, 2014
Another Slice of Arkansas Pie: A Guide to the Best Restaurants, Bakeries, Truck Stops and Food Trucks for Delectable Bites in The Natural State
Tonti Press, 2018
Arkansas Food: The A to Z of Eating in The Natural State
Tonti Press, 2018
101 Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die
Tonti Press, 2019
102 More Things to Eat in Arkansas Before You Die
Tonti Press, 2019
43 Tables: An Internet Community Cooks During Quarantine
Tonti Press, 2020
A Bite of Arkansas: A Cookbook of Natural State Delights
Tonti Press, 2020
Arkansas Dairy Bars: Neat Eats and Cool Treats
Tonti Press, 2021
Arkansas Cookery: Retro Recipes from The Natural State
Tonti Press, 2021
Tonti Press, 2023
Press:
Kat Robinson shares iconic pie recipe from her upcoming book
Rhett Brinkley
Arkansas Times
May 3, 2023
‘The Great Arkansas Pie Book’ provides recipes for the Natural State’s most famous dish
Ryan Turbeville
KARK-TV
May 8. 2023
includes video
Robinson offers up pie in latest cookbook
Heber Springs Sun-Times
May 10, 2023
FRONT BURNER: Kat Robinson’s newest ‘Pie Book’ a feast of recipes and information
Kelly Brant
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
May 17, 2023
"The Great Arkansas Pie Book" now available
The Vine
THV CBS 11 Little Rock
May 17, 2023
video
Author Kat Robinson collects best in Arkansas pies for her 12th book
(Print Headline: ‘Pie Lady’s’ 12th release ‘a definitive cookbook’ of best on two crusts)
Becca Martin-Brown
Rex Nelson
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
May 27, 2023
Pie book author showcases pastry skills
Good Day NWA
KNWA FOX 24 Fayetteville
June 26, 2023
Marla Cantrell
Do South Magazine
July 1, 2023
BOTTLE SHOTS: Wine pairings for the ‘Great Arkansas Pie Book’
Seth Eli Barlow
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
July 5, 2023
The Place: Kat Robinson The Great Arkansas Pie Book